Athlete exodus prompts review

A rash of recent transfers by student athletes from one county school to another has triggered an internal review of policies by Okaloosa County School District officials.

BRANDON WALKER / Daily News

A rash of recent transfers by student athletes from one county school to another has triggered an internal review of policies by Okaloosa County School District officials.

The transfers took place in January, when seven former Fort Walton Beach High School football players filed the necessary paperwork to attend Niceville High School. The athlete exodus from Fort Walton Beach to Niceville has prompted an informal review of policies within the district — a review that is ongoing.

“There have been questions raised regarding the number of student athletes who chose to switch schools in January,” school district investigator Arden Farley sad. “We are looking internally at issues that may have caused it, and we are expanding that to take a look at every school in the county.”

The seven students in question all suited up for the Vikings in the fall before filing waivers to attend Niceville in January. The players are defensive back Romeo Finley, quarterback Colby Tuthill, defensive back Chase Outzen, kicker Tyler Gilley, tailback Deonte Sheffield as well as underclassmen Isaiah Denman and Alex Boswell.

Finley was a First-Team All-Area performer as a sophomore for the Vikings who already boasts five collegiate scholarship offers. Tuthill was the starting quarterback.

According to Niceville head coach John Hicks, the influx of former Vikings caught everyone by surprise.

“We were certainly surprised by the number of kids coming over, but they trickled in. Two signed up one day, two the next week and they came in like that. It wasn’t seven kids all at once,” Hicks said. “But we have more than 100 students that attend Niceville on waivers right now. Based on that, we couldn’t deny these kids when they went through the same process as those 100-plus students.”

At Fort Walton Beach, head coach Mike Owens says he and his team were rocked by the loss of talent.

“It was a very rough time personally and for our school,” Owens said. “There were several good players, but more than that, it’s tough losing kids you’ve worked with for three and four years. You work with them and then they leave in the middle of the school year. It’s tough to deal with.”

‘Transfer season’ Across Florida, transfers within county school districts have risen dramatically in recent years, so much so that the two months after football season have been dubbed “transfer season.”

The trend is more notable in talent-rich South Florida, but it has grown to become a statewide issue in the past two years, dating to legislation in 2012 that eased transfer restrictions and made it possible for incoming players to be immediately eligible at their new school.

To transfer, student-athletes are required to file a waiver with their new school and provide a valid reason for the switch. All seven new Eagles did that.

At the state level, Florida High School Athletic Association spokesman Corey Sobers said scrutiny involving the transfer of athletes is nothing new.

“The key to the whole thing is there are always allegations and always the perception that these moves are for athletics,” Sobers said. “The burden of proof is where the rubber meets the road. It is on each school district to make sure everyone is following the procedure — and it is usually handled at that level before it ever gets to us — but there will always be accusations when a handful of players are ending up at a couple of schools.”

According to Sobers, FHSAA bylaws allow each county or each school district the ability to adapt the rules to be more stringent on transfers.

Farley with the Okaloosa school district added that no formal allegations of improper recruiting have been levied against Niceville and the school is not under investigation.

Farley says his internal review should be completed sometime next week. At that point, he will hand over his findings to Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson, and any policy changes or repercussions will come from her office should evidence of improper recruiting surface.

Moving on In 2013, Niceville finished 13-2 and played for the Class 7A state championship while Fort Walton Beach finished 3-7 and missed the playoffs. That has sparked speculation that some of the seven players wanted to play at a program that has had more recent success.

For Hicks, the issue of transfers always has been a delicate one.

“I also understand a parent and a player wanting a choice on where they attend school,” he said. “I know as a parent and a player, I would have.”

At Fort Walton Beach, Owens and the Vikings have focused on moving forward with the players remaining in the program.

“We have moved on,” he said. “We are focusing on the players that we’ve got, the kids that are committed to us. And we are getting better every day.”

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